13 research outputs found
Fetal alcohol exposure increases susceptibility to tumorigenesis in the pituitary
No full textAlcohol exposure during gestation increases susceptibility to the development of pituitary tumors in response to estrogen in rat offspring. While the mechanism underlie this effect is not fully understood, serum estradiol (E2) and pituitary aromatase mRNA expression are increased in fetal alcohol exposed (FAE) offspring, which suggests a role for the estrogen axis. To test our hypothesis, pregnant Fischer 344 rats were fed between gestational days 7 and 21 with a liquid diet containing alcohol (AF), pair-fed with isocaloric liquid diet (PF), or fed rat chow (AD). At 60 days of age, animals were ovariectomized and received a subcutaneous estradiol implant. Rats were sacrificed at various times point after estradiol implantation. At the time of sacrifice, pituitaries of these animals were inspected for tumor growth. Estradiol treatment time-dependently increased pituitary weight in AF group as compared to AD and PF groups. After 120 days of estradiol treatment, inspection of the pituitary revealed that most tumors in the AF group were hemorrhagic and showed expansion to the surrounding tissue. Pituitary tumors from FAE offspring showed strong nuclear p53 and Ki67 expression. Significantly higher mRNA levels of hemorrhage-associated genes and proteins (PTTG, FGF4 and MMP-9) and multipotency genes and proteins (SOX2, Oct4 and CD133) were also observed in pituitary tumor tissues from AF group as compared with PF and AD groups. To test whether FAE enhances the population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in the pituitary in response to estradiol, pituitaries were collected, and plated in ultra-low plates to promote pituisphere formation. The growing spheres were enzymatically dissociated to permit serial passaging. Assessment of a panel of genes related to multipotency (OCT4, NANOG, KLF4, SOX2, CD133, CD44, nestin and CD34) indicated that mRNA and protein expression of most of these genes was significantly higher in pituitary cells derived from spheres of AF animals as compared to AD. Pituitary cells derived from spheres of AF animals showed higher cell proliferation, migration and colony formation rates as compared to the control group. The pituitary cells derived from AF spheres were able to grow in immunodeficient mice. These data suggest that alcohol feeding enhances pituitary tumor development, and may program the pituitary to express pluripotent and growth promoting molecules under the estrogenic influence to induce aggressive pituitary tumor.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Shaima Jabba
Evaluation of IgG and Complement Component C4 Levels in Low-Income Countries, Yemen Republic in Light of Their Proposed Role in the Hemolysis of Stored CPDA-1 Whole Blood
No full textJamil MAS Obaid,1,2 Khawla AAS Sakran,2 Shaima AH Mohammed,1 Shifa`a LA Al-Salahi,1 Nawal AN Mahdi,1 Mohammed AM AL-Sharabi,1 Asadaddin SM AL-Gaadi,2 Mohammed NM AL-Fatahi2 1Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ibb University, Ibb, Yemen; 2Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ibb University, Ibb, YemenCorrespondence: Jamil MAS Obaid, Ibb University, Assalaba, Ibb, Yemen, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Hemolysis is the most severe change that occurs in stored blood and can cause severe consequences in patients after transfusion. This study examines the potential role of IgG and complement, exampled by C4, in the hemolysis of stored CPDA-1 blood under poor storage conditions in low-income countries.Methods: The study was performed on 30 whole blood units (250 mL) drawn from convenience healthy volunteer donors with CPDA-1 anticoagulant and stored at 2– 6 °C for 35 days. Each well-mixed blood bag was sampled at 0, 7, 21 and 35 days and examined for CBC, plasma hemoglobin, hemolysis percent and determination of IgG and C4.Results: The plasma hemoglobin level and hemolysis percent increased continuously to reach 1.56 g/dl and 7.05% at the end of storage time. Hemolysis increased alongside the mean IgG concentration that was increased significantly from day 0 of storage (7.68± 1.75 g/L) and peaked on day 7 (11.55± 1.57 g/L), then declined to reach 8.33± 2.09 g/L on day 35. Also, the mean concentration of C4 increased from day 0 of storage (0.15± 0.06 g/L) to a peaked on day 21 (0.18± 0.04) then declined on day 35 (0.17± 0.06 g/L). The coordinated action of IgG and C4 is reflected by the positive correlation of their delta changes (r=0.616, p< 0.0001).Conclusion: Elevated hemolysis percent in whole CPDA-1 stored blood in Yemen was accompanied by initial increase of IgG and C4 followed by final decline, which indicate their activation and consumption during hemolysis. Further studies for other hemolysis markers and analyses will give a full idea about that.Keywords: IgG, complements, hemolysis, CPDA-1 blood, transfusio
Automatic Block Selection for Synthesizing Texture Images using Genetic Algorithms
No full textTexture synthesis using genetic algorithms is one way; proposed in the previous research, to synthesis texture in a fast and easy way. In genetic texture synthesis algorithms ,the chromosome consist of random blocks selected manually by the user .However ,this method of selection is highly dependent on the experience of user .Hence, wrong selection of blocks will greatly affect the synthesized texture result. In this paper a new method is suggested for selecting the blocks automatically without the participation of user .The results show that this method of selection eliminates some blending caused from the previous manual method of selection
Esterification of oleic acid with alcohols over Cu-MMT K10 and Fe-MMT K10 as acid catalysts
No full textCorrelation Between Serum Uric Acid, Vitamin D and HbA1c and the Occurrence of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
No full textBackground: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a global hormonal disorder affect a considerable number of women annually. It is marked by hyperandrogenemia, which is an increase in the production of testosterone in the ovaries, and insulin resistance.
Objectives: The study aimed to determine the interaction between blood level of uric acid, vitamin D, and HbA1C in individuals with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Materials and Methods: The study utilized patient data from a medical center in Karbala. The data (levels of uric acid, vitamin D, and HbA1C) were collected from medical records for 30 randomly selected female patients diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. These patients\u27 ages ranged from 18 to 42 years. The data were collected and analyzed statistically by using GRAPH PAD PRISM software.
Results: findings of this study indicate that women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome had elevated levels of uric acid in their bloodstream (SUA) in comparison to women who do not have polycystic ovary syndrome. The incidence of hyperuricemia in female diagnosed with (PCOS) was significantly high (P value 0.01) compared to normal range. Vitamin D was also significantly more than normal (p value 0.01) while HbA1C was not significantly difference (p value 0.054)
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome exhibit elevated amounts of vitamin D in their bloodstream, even in patient with normal or overweight. Elevated testosterone levels could potentially enhance vitamin D storage. The findings demonstrated slight non-significant rise in HbA1c levels in relation to body mass index. The findings revealed an increase in uric acid levels in relation to body mass index
Predictors of Emirati Marital Satisfaction: Contributions of Psychological Health and Family Functioning
No full text© The Author(s) 2019. Based on previous work on factors predicting marital satisfaction in Emirati society, this study aimed at examining whether anxiety and depression as well as perceived family functioning would predict marital satisfaction among a sample of 1,041 Emirati married individuals. Participants responded to the Emirati Marital Satisfaction Scale along with an Arabic translation of the General Functioning (GF12) subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device and the Primary Care Anxiety and Depression Scale. Marital satisfaction negatively correlated with lower levels of family functioning as well as to depression and anxiety. Lower levels of depression and anxiety as well as healthy family functioning together explained about 50% of the variance in the marital satisfaction. The interaction between gender and depression and anxiety was insignificant. Findings are discussed within the United Arab Emirates cultural context
Complementarity of SOMAscan to LC-MS/MS and RNA-seq for quantitative profiling of human embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells
No full textAbstractDynamic range limitations are challenging to proteomics, particularly in clinical samples. Affinity proteomics partially overcomes this, yet suffers from dependence on reagent quality. SOMAscan, an aptamer-based platform for over 1000 proteins, avoids that issue using nucleic acid binders. Targets include low expressed proteins not easily accessible by other approaches. Here we report on the potential of SOMAscan for the study of differently sourced mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in comparison to LC-MS/MS and RNA sequencing. While targeting fewer analytes, SOMAscan displays high precision and dynamic range coverage, allowing quantification of proteins not measured by the other platforms. Expression between cell types (ESC and MSC) was compared across techniques and uncovered the expected large differences. Sourcing was investigated by comparing subtypes: bone marrow-derived, standard in clinical studies, and ESC-derived MSC, thought to hold similar potential but devoid of inter-donor variability and proliferating faster in vitro. We confirmed subtype-equivalency, as well as vesicle and extracellular matrix related processes in MSC. In contrast, the proliferative nature of ESC was captured less by SOMAscan, where nuclear proteins are underrepresented. The complementary of SOMAscan allowed the comprehensive exploration of CD markers and signaling molecules, not readily accessible otherwise and offering unprecedented potential in subtype characterization.SignificanceMesenchymal stem cells (MSC) represent promising stem cell-derived therapeutics as indicated by their application in >500 clinical trials currently registered with the NIH. Tissue-derived MSC require invasive harvesting and imply donor-to-donor differences, to which embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived MSC may provide an alternative and thus warrant thorough characterization. In continuation of our previous study where we compared in depth embryonic stem cells (ESC) and MSC from two sources (bone marrow and ESC-derived), we included the aptamer-based SOMAscan assay, complementing LC-MS/MS and RNA-seq data. Furthermore, SOMAscan, a targeted proteomics platform developed for analyzing clinical samples, has been benchmarked against established analytical platforms (LC-MS/MS and RNA-seq) using stem cell comparisons as a model
Adipose tissue IL-23 is associated with fasting blood glucose and HbA1c in overweight/obese individuals
No full textIL-23, a proinflammatory cytokine, plays a role in the development of inflammatory diseases. However, the association between IL-23 expression in adipose tissue (AT) and glycemic changes in obesity remains unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship of adipose tissue IL-23 (AT-IL-23) expression with other inflammatory mediators within the same compartment and insulin resistance markers fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in overweight/obese individuals. Fat biopsies were collected from 10 individuals with a body mass index (BMI) 25kg/m2 and were analyzed for IL-23 and other inflammatory markers using qRT-PCR. Inflammatory markers, including CD16, CD11c, CCR2, CCR5, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-12, CCL8, CCL19, and CXCL9, were positively correlated with IL-23 in the AT-compartment in the obesity context. Notably, AT-IL-23 was correlated positively with FBG, HbA1c, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), while negatively correlating with adiponectin. These findings suggest that AT-IL-23 is associated with metabolic inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity, suggesting it may be of interest for future biomarker studies.Peer reviewe
Public contributors' preferences for the organisation of remote public involvement meetings in health and social care : a discrete choice experiment study
No full textFunding information NIHR ARC North West Coast ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We want to thank the public contributors who helped design this study and took part in the DCE survey. This research is supported by the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast (ARC NWC). The Health Economics Research Unit is supported by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), which is part of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health Research, the Department of Health and Social Care or the CSO.Peer reviewe
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Prevalence and Clinical Overview: A Single Center Study from Saudi Arabia, Eastern Region, Al-Ahsa
No full textCutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne parasitic disease that is transmitted via the bites of infected female sandflies. CL has been endemic in several countries worldwide for many decades, and numerous cases have been reported in Saudi Arabia, particularly across six regions; one of which is AL-Ahsa. Our research aimed to evaluate the epidemiological situation of CL among the patients in Al-Ahsa, Eastern region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during the period from 2017 to 2023. The data were collected from the patients’ registries and included 245 patients who were diagnosed with CL in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Fewer than half of the cases (47.8%) were Saudi patients, with a significant number of them being males (84.5%). Over half of the cases (52.7%) were aged between 21 and 40 years, and about three-quarters (74.7%) of the cases resided in rural areas. Regarding the nature of the lesions, 38.4% of the cases had one lesion, which was mainly distributed on a lower extremity (62.0%) or an upper extremity (52.2%). A high percentage of the lesions (75.2%) were wet lesions and caused by L. major. Concerning risk factors, a greater number of patients (71.4%) had been in rural areas within the last three months. Additionally, more than half of the cases (54.3%) had close contact with rodents, followed by birds (28.2%), sheep (22.0%), dogs (16.3%), and other animals (1.2%). The results showed a low number of reported CL cases in 2020 and 2021, followed by a surge in 2022 and 2023. The study shows that cutaneous leishmaniasis is still a public health problem in Al-Ahsa and is primarily associated with rural areas
